NIT Bracket 2013: Predicting Winners in Monday Night's Action

Only three more spots remain in the quarterfinals of the 2013 NIT Tournament, with some of the more unlikely seeds trying to progress through.

Both No. 7 seed Mercer and No. 8 seed Robert Morris will look to continue their Cinderella runs with strong wins in their respective second round matches, whilst Southern Miss will be desperate to avoid being the second No. 1 seed eliminated when they take on Louisiana Tech.

Who will emerge as winners from Monday night's action in the NIT?

Read on for full predictions for every remaining second round game.

NIT Tournament Schedule: Monday, March 25, 2013

Providence [4] vs. Robert Morris [8] at 7:30 p.m. ET

BYU [3] vs. Mercer [7] at 9:00 p.m. ET

Southern Miss. [1] vs. Louisiana Tech [5] at 10:00 p.m. ET

Providence [4] vs. Robert Morris [8]

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Robert Morris scored one of the most incredible wins in the opening round when they knocked out highly-favored No. 1 seed Kentucky. The Colonials kept pace with the Wildcats for most of that game, and came through with the win at the end—something they'll be looking to repeat here.

However, Providence also scored a big win in the opening round—coming from behind to defeat Charlotte—and appear very tough to beat here.

Granted Robert Morris did beat Kentucky, but the Wildcats were seemingly in decline ever since Nerlens Noel went down. Providence, on the other hand, is a team going up, and will carry a stack of self-belief that they can knock off the No. 8 seed in this one—and they will.

Bryce Cotton and Vincent Council can be truly explosive at their best, and should have enough in them to carry the Friars through to the next round.

Prediction: Providence 71, Robert Morris 61

BYU [3] vs. Mercer [7]

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With Tyler Haws exploding for 37 points in BYU's big win over Washington in the opening round, it's hard to believe they'll lose momentum in the second round against Mercer.

However, if Haws cool's off, then BYU could be in for a real shock—much like Alabama was when they played Mercer earlier in the season, and much like Tennessee in their opening game.

Mercer could well have been in the NCAA Tournament had it not been for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, who beat them in the conference championship game. And given how well Andy Enfield's men have been going in the tournament so far—becoming the first No. 15 seed to make the Sweet 16—it's safe to say that this Mercer team is perhaps better than we're giving them credit for.

Expect Mercer to keep this one close, and not allow BYU's offense to truly kick away like it did against Washington. And if they can do that, don't be surprised to see another upset take place here.

Prediction: Mercer 78, BYU 77

Southern Miss. [1] vs. Louisiana Tech [5]

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Louisiana Tech might have scored an impressive win over Florida State in the opening round, but their tournament will come to an end against Southern Miss.

The Golden Eagles have a lot of talent in players like Jonathan Mills and Neil Watson, but they also carry tremendous depth with them on the court. And against the No. 5 seed Louisiana Tech, they'll prove too strong and move through to the quarterfinals.

Louisiana Tech is not as strong as their first round win might have seemed, for without Raheem Appleby, they wouldn't have gotten past Florida State at all. His freakish second half performance led them to the win, but against a strong Southern Miss team, he won't be able to produce similar results and his team will be left wanting down the stretch as a result.

I think this one should stay relatively close throughout, but as Louisiana Tech tries to stay in the game, look for Southern Miss to pull away late.